Disney announced Tuesday that “Star Wars: Episode IX,” the final installment of the sequel trilogy that began with “The Force Awakens” in 2015, will get a Memorial Day weekend release on May 24, 2019.
It will be the only film in the series produced by Disney that will not be released in December. Colin Trevorrow (“Jurassic World”) will direct the film from a script penned by his longtime writing partner, Derek Connolly.
Other films currently slated for release that weekend include Warner Bros.’ adaptation of the video game “Minecraft,” and Universal’s “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle,” which has Robert Downey, Jr. attached to star as the famed animal-loving doctor.
May 2019 is now set up to be an enormous month for Disney. Three weeks prior to the release of “Episode IX,” the studio will release Marvel Studios’ fourth “Avengers” movie, which will conclude the comic book movie franchise’s seven-year Infinity Stone saga. Other films on Disney’s 2019 slate include “Frozen 2,” Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” “Captain Marvel,” and Jon Favreau’s live-action adaptation of “The Lion King.”
Mark Hamill has confirmed that Luke Skywalker will appear in “Episode IX,” but General Leia Organa will not be seen following the death of Carrie Fisher in December. Leia will appear in the next “Star Wars” film, “The Last Jedi,” as Fisher had finished shooting her scenes prior to her death.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” arrives in theaters Dec. 15.